Making a Background

By John Siskin

Sam V. #1 © John H. Siskin All rights reserved

So there are a number of problems with small background that would make us want a professional quality background. What does that mean? Most importantly a background that is large and without seams running through it. It would also be nice to have a surface that isn’t entirely even, but you can make some significant changes with lighting. The problem is that a background like this from Calumet, or another retailer, is going to cost about $130.00 for a 10X12 foot background and a little over $200.00 for a 10X24 foot background. I would of course suggest that you get the 24 foot background, since you can have someone stand on a larger background and still have options for lighting the background since you put the background further back.

Now I can understand if you don’t want to spend the money for the background, money is hard to come by. Another reason to avoid buying a background is that if you can’t go to the store and actually see it you may end up with a background you can’t stand. That’s really annoying if you spent a couple of hundred dollars for it.

Well there is another option, you can buy cloth in 9 foot widths and dye it. This is an amazingly simple process. I bought a piece of fabric 9 foot wide (fabric widths are measured in inches, 9 foot is 108 inches) by 12 foot long. I really should have bought 24 feet, but I was just making the background for this example. The other thing you need is Rit dye, or some other fabric dye. I went to a Laundromat, since I didn’t want to use my home machine for dyeing, and put some soap and two containers of the dye in the washing machine. If I wanted a darker background I would have used more dye. When the wash was done I had a useful background. The fabric was $4.99 a yard, $20.00, and the Rit dye was $ 1.38 or about $2.75 for two. Of course I also had to drop some quarters in the washing machine. The fabric I used is bleached muslin and the dye color is taupe.

Hanging Background © John H. Siskin All rights reserved

I hung the fabric to dry in my studio. This reduces wrinkles

I got some help to sew a sleeve for a pole to hold the background. I could have done this with spring clamps but a sleeve is easier. I have got to learn to use a sewing machine.

Sleeve © John H. Siskin All rights reserved

Taupe Background © John H. Siskin All rights reserved

I got on Craig’s list to find a model that I hadn’t worked with before. Sam Veta was an excellent model for this project. Notice that I used spring clamps to create a drapery effect on the background and I even lit one of the images from behind the background. I would have like to have a little less evenness in the finished backdrop. I think if I had twisted up the background more before putting it in the washing machine I would have achieved this. Alternatively you can paint some fabric dye directly on the cloth. I think this worked out very well and very economically!

Sam V. #2 © John H. Siskin All rights reserved

Sam V. #3 © John H. Siskin All rights reserved

Sam V. #4 © John H. Siskin All rights reserved

Thanks,
John Siskin

Comments

[Tom Ehlers]

This backdrop looks great for the money, I'll have to try this process myself. It was great meeting you at the BP summit in chicago last Sept.